Schneereich
|connectedresources = |bonusresources = }} Schneereich is a medium sized, highly developed, and aging nation at 511 days old with citizens primarily of German ethnicity whose religion is Norse. Its technology is first rate and its citizens marvel at the astonishing advancements within their nation. Its citizens pay extremely high taxes and many despise their government as a result. The citizens of Schneereich work diligently to produce Pigs and Cattle as tradable resources for their nation. It is a mostly neutral country when it comes to foreign affairs. It will usually only attack another nation if attacked first. It believes nuclear weapons are necessary for the security of its people. The military of Schneereich has been positioned at all border crossings and is arresting all drug traffickers. Schneereich does not allow any form of government protests. Its armed police forces work quickly at "dissolving" any and all government protests. It has an open border policy, but in order for immigrants to remain in the country they will have to become citizens first. Schneereich detains individuals who participate in the slanderous comments about the government. The government of Schneereich has no compassion for other people of the world and does not contribute to foreign aid. The government of Schneereich will trade with any other country regardless of ethical consequences. History The government of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) built a small research base in Antarctica in 1987. It was named Südpolstation 1. A few years later, it was abandoned as the GDR collapsed and was absorbed by the neighboring Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany). In 1994, 86 East German loyalists emigrated to the abandoned research base to rebuild the East German state. They landed at the base on 9 September. Although the base was incredibly uncomfortable, the settlers researched the technology that allowed the base to be fully habitable, and it grew into the city of Eisburg. Around this city, a nation grew, and on 5 May 2007, it was officially declared to be the sovereign state of Schneereich (which translates into "Snow Empire"), and it affiliated itself with the Random Insanity Alliance. The nation was run by the Volkskammer (People's Chamber), which in turn was dominated by the Sozialistiche Ennheitspartei Schneereich (Socialist Unity Party of Schneereich, SES). Aid from the RIA led to such rapid growth that the totalitarian regime could not hold onto power, and dissident party members staged a revolt on 19 June 2007. The blossoming nation quickly embraced the new democratic system implemented by the reformists. The first elections, held on 11 July 2007, resulted in a landslide victory for the Sozialistiche Partei Schneereich (Socialist Party of Schneereich, SPS), a left-leaning but democratic party. This democratic reformation was short-lived, though, as a hard-line group of monarchists took advantage of their new political freedom by rigging the September 2007 elections in their favor, and installing a royal family. The new king ordered a massive increase in the size of the military, with Schneereich recruiting thousands of fresh soldiers and purchasing airplanes, tanks, and missiles. He also began a nuclear weapons program. It was initially controversial because of its high price for such a young country, but after only a few months the nation tested its first warhead, and the populace embraced the technology as a defensive shield. The king followed the Random Insanity Alliance into the Unjust War, in which Schneereich's military performed remarkably. The military crushed Yoland and Republic of Ustio, both of the Grand Global Alliance. Schneereich gained a large amount of land and technology in the war, and experienced a post-war economic boom. This eventually slowed down, but Schneereich continued to grow into an ever-larger and more powerful nation. The king has embarked on various ambitious projects, including the construction of an interstate system, an enormous temple to the nation's Norse gods, a social security system, and a national research laboratory. On 30 April 2008, citing ideological differences, Schneereich left the RIA to join the New Pacific Order. A few months later, Schneereich fought in the War of the Coalition, in which it handily defeated its enemy. The economy then boomed until the Karma War, which Schneereich is currently fighting. Nuclear strikes during this war have annihilated most of the country's cities, and the future of the kingdom looks dark. Politics The state of Schneereich, despite its socialist roots, and its democratic enlightenment period, has become a conservative monarchy. Decisions are made either directly by the king or by his appointed advisers. The king is known for his strong defiance of international pressure and for overseeing extravagant national undertakings. The population has come to support the monarchy. The people of Schneereich are followers of the Norse religion. Economy Although Schneereich primarily produces livestock, the nation imports a wide variety of resources and internally assembles much of its infrastructure and machinery. Eisburg is the major industrial center of the country, containing many factories and laboratories. This includes the enormous National Research Laboratory, which has been responsible for many of the world's most important scientific breakthroughs. The city of Gletscher is the economic capital of the nation, and is considered to be one of the world's main financial centers. It houses the headquarters of many top banks, as well as the Gletscher Wertpapierbörse, one of the world's most important stock markets. The economy is currently very strong, with the average daily income at more than €400 per capita. Taxes are relatively high in Schneereich. The nation has a progressive income tax, and the effective tax rate is 30%. The Social Security Service provides for Schneereich's retired population. Schneereich has recently constructed a sprawling highway system to streamline intercity travel. The network infrastructure was recently upgraded to an all-fiber system, bringing speeds of 100Mbit/s into homes and businesses. The citizens of Schneereich enjoy top-notch universal healthcare, and thus have long and fulfilling lives. Currently, as a result of the ongoing devastation of the Karma War, Schneereich's economy is in tatters. Eisburg, Gletscher, and most other cities are now smoldering piles of radioactive waste. Fortunately, the main national products, cattle and pigs, are still being produced in large quantities because they are produced in rural areas. Military The military of Schneereich consists of five branches: the army, the air force, the navy, strategic command, and the clandestine services. The army has historically been well-manned - before the Karma War, 65,000 soldiers and 1,500 tanks were on active peacetime duty. Several thousand more tanks were kept in storage in case of war. The air force was top-notch, with 85 state-of-the-art airplanes, including F-22 Raptor fighters and Tu-160 Blackjack bombers. The navy operated a large fleet of brand new warships. Strategic Command handles Schneereich's arsenal of cruise missiles and nuclear ICBMs. The clandestine service is, not surprisingly, highly secretive, and the Kriegsministerium (War Ministry) does not release statistics relating to it. A major bolstering of the military saw the construction of two important systems to defend the homeland in the event of a major war. The Strategic Defense System can intercept and destroy incoming nuclear warheads, and the Air Defense System guarantees that Schneereich's fighter planes will maintain superiority in the nation's skies. These systems have proven indispensable throughout the Karma War, and much of the successful defensive actions taken during the conflict can be attributed to them. Because Schneereich is a peaceful nation, the military has only been used on three occasions: during the Unjust War, during the War of the Coalition, and again during the ongoing Karma War. In the Unjust War, it successfully waged war against two nations simultaneously, and defeated them both. In the War of the Coalition, it brought an NPO traitor to justice. Unfortunately, the military has not fared as well during the Karma War, and the kingdom has suffered gravely. The nation has sustained heavy losses, and most major cities have been obliterated by nuclear strikes. Airstrikes and cruise missiles are everyday realities to the remaining citizens of Schneereich, and an enemy naval blockade has been set up around the nation. However, Schneereich has fought back against overwhelming odds, and it delivered nuclear strikes, air strikes, and cruise missile attacks to its enemies until its stockpiles were depleted and the means of production were crippled. Schneereich's ground forces have had moderate success in defending the homeland from enemy troops, but counter-attacks have been fruitless. Transport Electric snowmobiles are the most prevalent form of private transportation in Schneereich. The electricity is provided entirely by solar power, effectively making the electricity and domestic transport sector carbon-neutral. Because the electric grid has been rendered useless by the war, many people in Schneereich are now using diesel generators to power their snowmobiles. The nation's main harbor was located on the outskirts of Eisburg. It exported Schneereich's resources and imported those that the Antarctic landscape cannot provide. The harbor has survived the war because it is an ideal landing zone for enemy troops. It still sees heavy use by merchants, although not anywhere near the level seen before the war. Aviation in Schneereich was highly developed before the Karma War. The two largest international airports, located in Eisburg and Gletscher, were considered to be important global hubs. They were capable of servicing large passenger jets like the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747. Scheduled flights to many nations all over the world operated daily. Most cities in Schneereich had airports with domestic and short-haul international services. Many of the nation's most influential individuals owned private airplanes, and facilities for these were widespread. Since the war, some rural airfields continue to operate, but enemy fighter planes make the skies extremely dangerous. The only air traffic nowadays is military-related. A high-speed Maglev system links Schneereich's largest cities, and it is being expanded to reach every city of 100,000 citizens. High-speed conventional rail links the medium-sized cities that have not yet been added to the maglev system. The rural portions of these systems are still mostly intact, although the cities they serve are not. Their fate remains uncertain. Holidays Further reading Wikipedia - German Democratic Republic Category:Former member of New Pacific Order